What questions should I ask a family law lawyer during my initial consultation?

1. How long have you been practicing? Please note that some great attorneys have only been practicing 5 years.
2. What fields other than family law do you practice? It is important to hire an attorney that practices frequently in family law. If they practice in several fields, family law may not be there primary practice which could impact their ability to achieve success. Review their website for truthfulness.
3. If you already have a judge, ask the lawyer their opinion of the judge. If you do not already have an attorney, ask which judges you want or do not want on your case. This will provide you with insight on how familiar the attorney is with the judges and family court in general.
4. Ask the attorney the negative and positives of your case. If the attorney guarantees your win….RUN! If the attorney is not honest with your negatives, they are not likely being truthful.
5. The amount of the retainer and their hourly charge and the hourly rate of their paralegal, or legal assistant.
6. Will they be handling the case themselves or will another attorney in the office be handling the case.
7. If your spouse has hired another attorney, ask the potential attorney their experiences with that attorney. Believe it or not, attorneys that get along may benefit your case as they can hopefully work together to settle the case or reduce the cost of attorney fees rather than having squabbling between the attorneys.

Obviously there are several more questions specifically related to your case that you will need to ask as these are just a few questions that may assist you in choosing the best attorney for your case. Meet with at least three attorneys and compare the answers.